NMIMS Global Access

School for Continuing Education (NGA-SCE)

Course: Research Methodology
Internal Assignment Applicable for December 2022 Examination

1. Develop a sample research proposal to represent the various steps of hypothetico-

deductive method

Introduction:-
Hypothetico-Deductive method indicates, a hypothetico part in which a hypothesis or theory is
proposed for test and a deductive part in which test consequences are drawn from hypothesis.
It also consist of a 3rd part which is called consequences are deduced and confirmed with
experiments. The consequences either pass or fail when the comparison is carried out. Even
sometimes hypothesis is invented to account for some already known fact. The pass or fail
verdict is passed on to hypothesis. The various steps of hypothetico-deductive method include
i. identify a broad problem area ii. Define the problem statement iii. Develop hypothesis iv.
Determine measures v. Data collection, vi. Data analysis and vii. Interpretation of data.

For the application of various steps of hypothetico-deductive method, I have taken the research
topic of drop in use of management system to capture the injury / illness information which is
implemented by the organization to capture incidents while carrying out various tasks. Various
steps of the process are elaborated as below.

i. Identify a broad problem area:- As part of analysis of the performance of

applications and their usage, it is noticed by the service delivery leader that a new
application implemented to capture the injury information of employees while
carrying out their tasks is not being used to its full potentials. The system has been
implemented over many months of implementation timelines and nearly 10000
employees are onboarded to use the application, however the usage of the system
by the employees has been very limited. It is identified as a broad problem area.
Identification of problem area is a significant starting point for analysis
ii. Define problem statement:- For this particular problem area of employees are not
using the newly implemented injury capturing system, the real statement is many
of injuries are not properly captured by the organization resulting in loss of
information and putting the organization into big risk of non-compliance. Once
problem area is identified the next step is to defining the problem statement. For
 any problem areas for which we are trying to identify solution a general objective
and research questions of the research should be developed. In this case as per the
problem statement we have narrowed down to identify a problem statement for
further information. Collecting and gathering information about the factors that
contributed to the issue will help in narrow down to the broad problem area and to
identify the problem statement.
iii. Develop hypothesis:- The hypothesis for the users not able to capture the injury
details could be attributed to different hypothesis like the training to use the system
is not fully implemented or system data input is difficult to input resulting in
reduced use. So the broad hypothesis selected for testing include “Knowledge about
the system use puts the application to broad use”. As explained in the hypothesis
variables are examined to understand how different factors are influencing the
outcome of the problem and how can it be solved. The different parameters are
analysed as a whole and probable influence to the problem is identified. The
identification of hypothesis consists of specific factors like system complexity, lack
of training material, trainers awareness or age of the employees to learn new things.
As clearly mentioned in the hypothesis the “Knowledge about the system puts the
application to broad use” includes the criterion like it is testable and further it can
be categorized as falsifiable i.e., we can make the assumption false.
iv. Define measures:- In order to understand the hypothesis various measures will be
captured those include number of training sessions conducted, complexity of the
system, ease of use index and number of individual log in to the system during the
past 3 months. So for any hypothesis to be put to test, we need to use variables
which are measured in some way. The data area collected as a primary source by
conducting various surveys and data capturing initiatives.
v. Data collection:- Once the measures are identified necessary survey questionnaire
will be created and sent via organization survey links. Data captured using the
survey forms with respect to the variable in questions will be obtained for further
analysis. The data is then used for data analysis and hypothesis testing. Bias and
similar impact are reduced by properly calibrated questions Various statistical
analysis methods are used for data collected which is discussed in data analysis
section below.
vi. Data Analysis:- Once the data is collected it will be further subjected to details data
analysis techniques. The data analysis techniques like statistical check are
 performed to understand the hypothesis. Analysis like correlation techniques and
relationship between variable will be carried out to understand the hypothesis.
vii. Interpretation:- Based on the systematic analysis interpretation of the data will be
carried out. Data interpretation will be carried out based on casual factor and
identified solution like users not using the system due to threat to job or not
adequately trained or not aware of the system functioning. These analysis help to
take necessary actions to rectify the scenario and organize training sessions or
enhancing the usability of the system by adopting implementation scope increase.
So in this final step of analysis we can decide whether our hypothesis suggested or
not by interpreting the results of data analysis. If for example we found that the data
is reducing system usability then we can understand that if customer enagement is
increased by means of trainings and other engagement initiatives it would result in
increased use.

Conclusion:- As highlighted above research sample it can be clearly understood the various
steps which are used for Hypothetico-deductive method. I tried to use for a case study where
such analysis is used for understanding the employee onboarding to a new applications.
 2. What is meant by a dependent variable? Identify the one from the following
theoretical model. State any six hypotheses from this model. Identify the
mediating variable

Introduction:- Dependent variable

Variable can be independent or dependent based on the data the variable holds and the extend
the variable is subjectable to manipulation. A dependent variable is a variable which changes
its value as a result of independent variable manipulation. The outcome of the variable is
manipulated by the independent variables. The dependent variable is also termed as response
variable, outcome variable or even left hand side variable. Measurement data is used to
understand the extent to which the dependent variable is modified or manipulation potential of
independent variable.

There are various means by which a dependent variable can be identified like is the variable
can be manipulated or controlled or can it be subjected to grouping. If the variable comes before
other variables or after the variables or if it impacts other variable etc. It can be understood if
it is outcome of the study or is it dependent on other variable or even extent to which it can be
measured before other variables. The following variable is found to be dependent variable
following the theoretical model that is variable is considered relevant, it describes relationship
between variables and relation exits that is independent variable is seen as a variable
influencing the behaviour of some other dependent variable.

Identification of dependent variable from the theoretical model below:-

In the figure given in the question, the dependent variable is found to be I. Continuous use
intention
State any six hypothesis from the model: - The six hypothesis from the model are

i. Passing time & Enjoyment contributes to liking behaviour on Facebook

Passing time & Enjoyment does not contribute to liking behaviour on Facebook
ii. Information seeking & Self presentation contributes to liking behaviour on
Facebook
Information seeking & Self presentation does not contribute to liking behaviour on
Facebook
iii. Social presence and Social interaction contributes to liking behaviour on Facebook
 Social presence and social interaction does not contribute to liking behaviour on
Facebook
iv. Subjective norm contribute to continuous use intention
Subjective norm does not contribute to continuous use intention
v. Liking behaviour contributes to Continuous usage intention
Liking behaviour does Snot contribute to continuous usage intention
vi. Social gratification, Utilitarian and Hedonic gratification contributes to liking
behaviour on Facebook
Social gratification, Utilitarian and Hedonic gratification does not contributes to
liking behaviour on Facebook

Mediating variable:-
Mediating variable is defined as the one which is caused by independent variable and it
influences the dependent variable. When taken into consideration the statistical correlation
between independent and dependent variable is higher than when it isn’t considered. In this
case the mediating variable is “Liking behaviour on Facebook”.
3.a. Develop a questionnaire to survey the consumer and collect their response on what factors
might be responsible for decline in consumers satisfaction?

Introduction:- The customer satisfaction survey for Zomato includes many factors to be
considered. Some of the contributing to the customer satisfaction include the way the food is
being ordered, How long is using the Zomato, Reasons for choosing Zomato, Comparison of
Zomato with respect to others in the business. How easy it is to navigate etc. Some of the
questions which would be asked include

Questions:-

Sl. No Question Options

1 Age of the respondent in Yrs <20 20 – 40 40 – 45 >45
2 Gender M F
3 How often you order food online Daily Weekly Monthly
4 How long you have been using < 1 Yr 1–2 > 2 yrs
Zomato
5 What are the reasons for Price Quality Special offers
choosing Zomato
6 How easy it is to navigate Easy Somewhat Difficult
Zomato app easy
7 Expectations about Zomato Before using
Price 1 2 3 4 5
Application 1 2 3 4 5
Food quality 1 2 3 4 5
Packaging 1 2 3 4 5
Responsiveness 1 2 3 4 5
Delivery Speed 1 2 3 4 5
8 Expectations about Zomato After using
Price 1 2 3 4 5
Application 1 2 3 4 5
Food quality 1 2 3 4 5
Packaging 1 2 3 4 5
Responsiveness 1 2 3 4 5
Delivery Speed 1 2 3 4 5
9 Have you faced any problem Yes No
with Zomato
10 Will you recommend Zomato to Yes No
others
3.b. Identify some interview questions that you would use for deriving qualitative responses?
Who will be ideal respondent for the interview?

Some of the qualitative questions that I would like to use for qualitative survey or response
include questions surrounding menu offered, dietary restrictions availability, Delivery body
courtesy, Was the food tasty, Is any local restaurants not on the list etc. Some of the questions
include
i. Why you have chosen Zomato to get food delivery ?
ii. Why you have recently changed your ordering frequency ?
iii. Why you order food only from specific outlets ?
iv. Why you have stopped ordering specific restaurant ?
v. Why you think compared to our competitors we are offering value for money
vi. Why do you think competitor XYZ is valuable for money
vii. Why you recommend Zomato to others
viii. What would be your recommendation for us

Ideal respondent for the questionnaire:-

The questions are asked to different customers who have been using the application for some
time. I would be targeting customers based on their different years or months of association
like < 1 year, 1 – 2 years and 3 – 4 year or > 4 years which has been conducted in qualitative
questionnaire from the question 3.a. Those age groups and association with Zomato is further
categorized and questionnaire will be shared to capture the information.